Indian Science Fiction draws on postcolonial theory, science fiction criticism, utopian studies, genre theory, Western and Indian philosophy, and history to argue that Indian science fiction functions at the intersection of Indian and Western cultures. Suparno Banerjee deploys a comparative approach in examining the multilingual science-fiction traditions of India in order to trace the overarching evolutions of the genre. He complements this study with an analysis of specific patterns of hybridity in the genre’s formal and thematic elements. The book analyzes Indian science fiction’s use of alterity in its deployment of time, space, and characters, as well as the epistemologies that ground its world-building, and ultimately Banerjee shows that in all of these intrinsic elements Indian science fiction reveals inherent cultural intersectionality—mostly between India and the West, but also among the diverse cultures of India itself. Indian Science Fiction demonstrates that despite the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Indian science fiction traditions larger patterns and connections are visible and can offer valuable insights.
272 pages | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2020
New Dimensions in Science Fiction
